Building a proper reference page, or bibliography, is an important part of completing any research paper or report. Failure to cite the sources you used and the authors who compiled the information is a violation of the cardinal rules of plagiarism in written works. If you keep a record of your sources while you are researching for your report, building your reference page will be a quick and easy process. Proper citations will also give your report or research paper more credibility to the reader by allowing them to see the research supporting your information.

Step 1

Build your list of sources while you are researching for your paper. Write down the vital information about any source you use. Your source information should include the name of the publication, the author, the publisher and date of publication, and the volume, date and page number of any articles in a trade magazine or other publication.

Step 2

Format your reference page based on the requirements set forth for your paper. Typically, this means that your page should be left-aligned and single-spaced. Any reference that carries over to a second line should have each additional line indented.

Step 3

List your book references with the author’s name first, followed by a semicolon. List the title of the publication next, then the publisher’s city, publisher’s name, and the year of publication. Each of these pieces of information should be separated by a semicolon, with commas separating the publication information. When complete, your book references should look like this: Author’s Name; Title; City of publication, publisher’s name, year of publication.

Step 4

Reference articles found in magazines by listing the author of the article, the article’s title, the magazine’s title, the volume and date of the magazine or publication, and the page number the article is found on. Each piece of information should be separated by a semicolon. If properly formatted, your magazine articles will be written this way: Author; Article Title; Magazine Title; Volume and Date of publication; page number for the specific article.

Step 5

Include the website address and the date you viewed the site if any of your resources were viewed online. This information should be appended to the end of the reference line.

References

Resources

About the Author

Tara Kimball is a former accounting professional with more than 10 years of experience in corporate finance and small business accounting. She has also worked in desktop support and network management. Her articles have appeared in various online publications.